Since my new job hasn't started I took a long weekend to Colorado to see my family. It was the first time in four years that all the siblings were together. Most of the weekend was dominated by General Conference so we didn't do much besides hang out but it was wonderful to see everyone together again and be reminded what family dynamic means.

Photo credit: Seth. Alternate by Allison.

Since I was in Colorado for five days, I was able to attend my Aunt Gail's weekly Cousin Night. The premise is basically FHE with cousins and their kids but with a dinner but a bit more rowdiness. I taught the lesson this week and discussed about how to keep bad thoughts out of our mind. When I asked for suggestions I got a great response from Tanis, my oldest nephew. Tanis suggested (excuse my paraphrasing) that we use essential oils--especially lavender oil on the pillow before one goes to sleep--to help calm us and put us in the right state of mind. I scoffed in my head but it's actually not a bad idea.