In which I have an Indiana-related adventure

I'm pleased to report that the thought "This experience that I'm having would be fun to blog about!" is starting to hit me more often. Unfortunately, the amount of blog posts I'm actually sitting down to write is not exactly corresponding in a one-to-one relationship with the number of times that thought strikes. Oh well.

At any rate, I'm going to document my experience visiting the reasonably-famous Indiana Stonehenge. Yes, Indiana has a Stonehenge--henges and other fun, stony arrangements are found throughout the world, according to the exquisitely informed Melyngoch and her compatriot, J. (Also: Wikipedia).

It took us about an hour to drive out to the site and another 45 minutes or so to hike up the alleged-haunted Browning Mountain (Looming above the ghost town of Elkinsville! Site of UFO sightings! Spooky!) But when we reached the site, I admit I was a little underwhelmed. It was just some limestone boulders jutting out of a hill. We took the requisite pictures of sacrificing each other and then I noticed some other rock formations about 25 yards away which looked niftier. Turns out THAT was actually Indiana Stonehenge. Oops.

On the way back, we paused at the Indiana StoneHEAD Farmhouse to admire the gardens and sample the raspberries and then headed back to Nashville for some delicious pizza. Ferskner and I topped the evening off with Bruster's ice cream (nutty coconut and peach) and we declared the adventure a resounding success.

In which I had a great Sabbath

Yesterday was a very good day. It was Fast and Testimony meeting, which is always pretty fantastic in the Branch. A lot of people spoke about the power of prayer and the ways in which they've seen the Lord answer their prayers. In Sunday school, we watched a fabulous video about the temple that included various religious scholars of other faiths talking about the significance of temples throughout the ages.

But the third hour was the best--for the first time in years, we got to have the lesson outside! I can't remember the last time I've gotten to do this. (I'd like to think we were paying a little homage to the early days of the Church when the Saints used to meet outside for Sunday meetings.) The weather was perfect for it; warm, sunny with some haze, so the sun wasn't very direct and we all sat on blankets underneath a tree to hear Ferskner's lesson on finding joy in our daily lives.

Everyone had to make a list at one point of ten things that bring us immediate joy and it was kind of funny to hear most of us share the deep things we picked (family, friends, etc.) while Ferskner was like "Um, I was thinking more along the lines of 'pointy-toed shoes' and 'stacking books."

Since I'm a dork and threw my list out, I'm going to redo it here and focus more on those little things that bring me an instant burst of happiness.

Ten Things that Bring Me Joy
1. Summer fruit (Especially fresh blueberries)
2. Hugs
3. Good conversation
4. Flowers that smell nice
5. Jellybeans
6. Going barefoot
7. Reading
8. Movies
9. Baking for people
10. Clear nights

Yay for Sunday!