{five things xvi}

 - one -

I looked out the window this morning and what did I see?

Apparently my apricot trees decided to freely ignore the advice I have been giving them the for last several weeks.  I warned them that it was way too early to start blooming... that a late spring squall was likely eminent... 

Clearly they didn't get the message.

Here's hoping they know better than me.

- two -

One of my favorite people on earth was at Harvard this past week to speak on the basics of Latter-Day Saint beliefs.  If you've ever wondered what all the hoopla and fuss is about-- it seems like every day there's a new (and usually distorted) story in the media-- you couldn't do much better than to learn about our beliefs from Jeffrey R. Holland.

Love him.
I would have loved to be there for the question and answer session afterward... I'm sure that would have been fascinating.

- three -

My doctor's appointment on Monday went well.  I brought up my concerns about my previous pregnancies and the swelling I had been experiencing, and he validated everything I'd been feeling. 

The fact that I'm swelling like this so soon in the pregnancy isn't particularly promising, but we'll keep hoping for the best.  At this point, we're just going to start monitoring my blood pressure a little more closely and I will stay aware of how my daily activities effect the swelling and my general well being.  

In other news, I am totally on board with Heather's potato chip remedy to combat pregnancy-induced swelling.

So far I haven't seen a difference, but I figure you need to give it at least a few weeks to see results, right?  ;)

- four -

The Trayvon Martin story in the news lately has been breaking my heart.  The more information that comes out in the case makes me more and more disheartened.  The fact that a neighborhood watchman could pursue an unarmed 17-year-old boy (who was carrying only Skittles and an iced tea), gun him down, and then claim self defense...  I don't know.  I hate that things like this happen in America.

Despite the fact that I am a lot more liberal than most of my neighbors here in the Beehive State (and much more conservative than many of my friends back in the Land of Lincoln), I do believe in gun rights.
When there was a true case of self-defense just recently in a neighboring community, where a home owner shot a man who was committing a home invasion robbery and attempting to kidnap him and his wife, I was completely supportive of his actions.  I do believe that we should have the right to defend ourselves and our loved ones.

But to open fire on a young boy because he "looked suspicious?"  What exactly is that supposed to mean?  That he was black and wearing a hoodie?  I really hope not.  But the way the facts are coming out...
My heart just breaks for his family.

- five -

Last week in church one of my good friends in our congregation made a comment about how cute the twins were.  She remarked on how beautiful Dani is, and then told me that she thought Logan looked just like one of those Precious Moments dolls.

I was a little amused at her observation...  I've never really been a huge fan of them myself, but when I started looking at pictures of them and Logan...
Maybe I'll have to rethink that.

He is pretty cute.

• • •

And those are my five things for Friday!
Best wishes for a wonderful spring weekend.
♥