Sunday Sentiments - The Pleasing Final Judgement

Lately I’ve wanted to jot down some of my thoughts and feelings as I do my personal gospel study. A few weeks ago, after our phone call with Nicky, I was able to look up a few things I’ve written in my journal and on my blog on spiritual topics and forward them to him, and it was really cool to have those things recorded. It made me so grateful for my ability to write. I often think of myself as a “documenter.” It’s something that has always come natural to me and that I enjoy doing. I’ve always been a journaler and record keeper. I’ve noticed that Nicky is the same way, but I don’t know if he’s ever paid close enough attention to realize where he gets it from. 

I don’t know how consistent I’ll be, but I’m going to try and post something each week pertaining to what I’ve studied recently. Sundays make sense - hence the title “Sunday Sentiments.” Oh, but it’s not Sunday, it’s Thursday! And that’s because I didn’t have this post finished on Sunday. When it comes to blog rules, I get to make and break them as I choose. Maybe I’ll have a Sunday Sentiment ready to go on the next actual Sunday! (No promises - just good intentions). 

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In a few different talks, Elder David A. Bednar, an apostle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, has spoken about how the Final Judgement can be looked forward to as a glorious day if we are spiritually prepared. In his most recent conference address he said, “I am intrigued by Moroni’s use of the word pleasing to describe the Final Judgement.” 

Last week I studied this talk in depth and thought a lot about what might be “pleasing” about the Final Judgement. I have lots of ideas. For one, I think it will be such a sacred and beautiful experience to have the Savior advocate for us as individuals. I think we will feel understood, loved, and supported in a way we never could have imagined. I also think we may find our Judgement to be less about punishment and more about progression. 

A recurring theme I come across almost any time I study the gospel is IDENTITY. It finds its way into every talk, every lesson, and every scripture account. It’s always there… Who are you? (Who am I?)

“There’s one common identity we all share now and forever… That is that you are and always have been a son or daughter of God… Understanding this truth - really understanding it and embracing it - is life-changing.”

-M Russell Ballard 

From the Young Women theme: a daughter of Heavenly parents.

From the Proclamation:  a spirit daughter of Heavenly parents with a divine nature and eternal destiny. 

From the Relief Society Declaration: a spirit daughter of God with a life that has meaning, purpose, and direction. 

And in each of these statements, there is an additional word I didn’t include:

BELOVED.

The same word that Heavenly Father has used to introduce and describe His perfect Son also describes how He feels about imperfect YOU and imperfect ME.

I think an additional thing we might find pleasing about the Judgement Day is that we won’t just be told we are BELOVED. I think we will actually feel BELOVED. 

"When you know and understand how completely you are loved as a child of God, it changes everything. It changes the way you feel about yourself when you make mistakes. It changes how you feel when difficult things happen. It changes your view of God's commandments. It changes your view of others and of your capacity to make a difference."

-Susan H. Porter

I think, of everything challenged by the adversary, nothing is more attacked than our identity. And rightly so! I mean, if I were the devil, I would employ that tactic - confuse people about who they are and whether they have value. Make them feel worthless and unworthy. 

In the scriptures (and in life in general), there’s a pattern that whenever someone is called to do a great work, they are prone to become burdened and afraid of their own weaknesses. In last week’s Come Follow Me study, we saw it with Enoch. The Lord called him to do a work, and right away, Enoch homed in on all of his flaws. “People don’t like me. I’m not a good speaker. I’m only 65, I don't know anything!” When better way to render Enoch immobile than to make him question himself?

I think at the Final Judgement we might become more secure in our identity and our divine nature. President Dallin H. Oaks said, "...the Final Judgement is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts-what we have done. It is an acknowledgement of the final effect of our acts and thoughts-what we have become." 

Become.

In other words, who we are.

In essence, our IDENTITY. 

BELOVED children of Heavenly parents. 

Indeed, that is pleasing. 

Kids These Days

Eva (age 10):

Likes to impersonate Patrick Warburton and Sponge Bob. It's equally hilarious and annoying as hell. 

Is in her final year of elementary school (she is my first child that I will have to send to junior high for 6th grade. I've managed to evade it until now).

Eva in the 5th grade wax museum portraying Elizabeth Bergen 

Really wanted to watch Stranger Things but knew it wasn't the best for her age, so I reactivated an old Vid Angel account so she can watch it filtered. 

Gets away with way too much. 

She always has her head hanging out of the car window

Always wants to play "candy shop" or "library," and we are forced to be her patrons. 

One of Eva's business ventures

Zoe (age 13):

Is doing surprisingly well in junior high. I keep waiting for something to go devastatingly wrong. 

Has learned a lot of new cooking and homemaking skills in school. 

Zoe was obsessed with these cream puffs in California Adventure

Has such long beautiful hair and has no idea how lucky she is!

Talks in weird voices and mispronounces everything (and tries my patience in doing so).

Likes to bug people (and tries my patience in doing so). 

Zoe loves seeing the animals when we visit my parents

Is thriving on opportunities to be independent (going to the movie theater or rec center with a friend, walking around stores and buying stuff with her own debit card, etc).

Claims that she's not comfortable in a clean bedroom.

Asks for donuts every Saturday and loves breakfast burritos right now.

Had a growth spurt recently and has gotten really tall. Sometimes when I walk in the room, I think she's Daisy. 

Check out those long legs!

Daisy (age16):

Has her drivers license and gets herself where she needs to be (but doesn't like going anywhere beyond that).

Daisy at Universal Studios

Has a "big, fat crush" (her words) on Robert Irwin, Glen Powell, Ryan Gosling, Malachi Barton, Benson Boone, and Chris Pratt (and I probably missed five more). 

Goes to physical therapy twice a week for her back. 

Just finished doing a student directed play (Cyrano de Bergarac) in which she drew a mustache on herself and died in a sword fight (one of the nights, she actually got cut by the sword and her hand was bleeding). 

Daisy with her mustache and her bloody knuckles

Is starting to work on her theatre piece for the region competition. She will also be working on a play for her theatre team (a Robin Hood deal), and she is assisting Jasmine in the Unified (special education) production of Aladdin Jr. 

Was just released as president of her Young Women class. 

Instructing me to take a "tuff pic"

(Is this tuff?)

Nicky (age 19):

Calls us on Mondays.

He's not suffering

Seems a little tired of rice and beans.

Keeps a good attitude.

Always on the beach

Has acclimated to the Caribbean climate and gets cold when the temp is in the 70's.

Loves cheesecake and gets some any time he can.

Has a strange desire to not purchase any toiletries on his mission and will do things like take his mission companion's empty soap bottle out of the garbage can and fill it with water and shake it to make suds. 

Nicky got to go to the driving range on P-Day a few weeks ago

Is always finding animals and carrying them around. 

Brocation Ten Years Later

In 2016, my husband, Scotty, and some friends went on a trip to Disneyland. Lovingly deemed "Brocation," it has become an annual tradition. 

You can read a little about the history of Brocation in this post, but I think it's time for a little update about what Brocation has become. When I wrote that post, the largest group to attend Brocation had been 12 bros. This year they had 26. 

Brocation 2026

Here are some updated facts about Brocation:

-They now wear matching shirts. But not just custom t-shirts. They wear button-down collared shirts that make them look like a giant troop of Boy Scouts. Everyone has a nickname and a number on the back of their shirt, and they sew patches on their shirts. Some patches representative of who they are. They have all sorts of Disney character patches but also things like NASA, military, sasquatch, and more. They also earn a star for every year they go on Brocation, so every bro has a row of stars showing their Brocation history. 

-The hotel they stay at knows who they are and has notes and treats waiting for them in their rooms when they get there.

Welcome goodies from the hotel

-They have a long-standing tradition of trying to fit as many people in a seat on a ride as possible, and the Disney cast members are very accommodating on this (surprisingly!) They basically say if your butt is on the seat and the lap belt locks, you can ride! 

Three bros on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

-This year they had some firsts: first time riding the carousel, first jazzy chair rental, and first legally blind attendee (cane and all!)

An "Incredible" day at DCA!

-They have a mission statement and bro code of conduct. Since they are such a large group and stand out a bit, the Founders felt it was important to encourage good behavior, so they came up with some guidelines and expectations that they make sure everyone understands when they join the trip.

-Some of the cast members remember them from year to year and ask for photos

Some cast member from Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway

(and Mark with his jazzy)

-The week before the trip, all of the bros get together for the Brocation Feast (they can bring a +1, so a lot of the wives come too). At the Feast, they eat dinner, sew patches on their shirts, and watch the slideshows from past years. This event feels like being part of the weirdest cult on earth. But it’s a blast! This year they also reviewed the bro code. 

Bros at The Feast 2026

-They have several "sewing nights" during the weeks leading up to the trip so they can get their shirts up to date. 

-They get some perks for being well-behaved and noticeable. People venmo them churro money. Sometimes a cast member will hook them up with Lightning Lane passes or set them up with their own boat or train on a ride. People love taking photos with them, and they have gotten shout outs from Getaway Today two years in a row. They also met Gwen Stefani. 

Shout out from Getaway Today

Scotty with YouTuber Chris Provost

-The men who go on this trip are randomly pieced together. It started out with four men who were friends from church. Then it expanded to a few more guys from church and a few brothers. Then it went as far as "My boss wants to come!" "My friend from high school wants to come!" "My bishop wants to come!" They've even had people fly in from other states. Some guys have joined knowing only one other person, but by the time they go home, they have more best friends than they can count on two hands.

Three to a seat on Big Thunder

It's now been ten years since Brocation started! It's kind of trippy (no pun intended) to think about how the bros are all an entire decade older now than they were on that first vacation! It's been a really fun tradition for all of them. A bit ridiculous in some ways, but a very uplifting and unique thing to be a part of!

Currently (February 2026 Edition)

 Reading:

Wearing: a Beatles shirt, jeans, and leopard print slippers. 

Annoyed by: the sound a salad makes when being stirred. This is a new annoyance I discovered this week while eating Cafe Rio with my family. The misophonia is alive and well within me. 

Singing: "Death Wish Love" by Benson Boone

Aside: I have a song stuck in my head at all times. There are some songs that have been there my whole life. One example is the song from The Sword in the Stone that goes, "To and fro, stop and go, that's what makes the world go round!" But what's funny is when I actually pay attention to it and identify what song is stuck in my head (like I do every month when I write these posts) sometimes it slips right out of my mind, and I can't get it back. It drives me crazy because I know I was just singing a song, but as soon as I pay attention to it, it goes away, and I can't remember what it was. 

Craving: nothing because I just ate (sweet and sour meatballs over rice and dill carrots, if you're wondering). 

Buying: a new lamp for my nightstand. I never use my lamp because it's annoying to turn on, and I'm lazy, so I finally ordered a touch lamp that has charging ports. I feel like it will change my life, and I should have done it ages ago! (By the time this post publishes, hopefully it will have arrived via Amazon and been found suitable).

Eating: Jolly Rancher Jelly Hearts. And I don't like cherry flavored stuff, so I would normally be avoiding the cherry ones, but I'm too lazy to pick them out today, so I'm just going for it - cherry and all!

Suffering from: a sore neck. I've been having trouble with my neck for a few months, and I think it might be from cutting canvas at work. This is a theory I am currently exploring. 

Excited for: some upcoming plans with a few different friends. I love my people. And if you are my friend, and we haven't seen each other for a while, I hope we do soon! 

Cooking: Chicken Corn Chowder with Sweet Potatoes. This is on my meal plan for the month (I have the whole month planned out because I did a "shop from my pantry" session, and we have so much food we need to use up that I was able to plan an entire month's worth of dinners and still have a few additional dinner ideas "on call" in case we need to make a last minute change). I've never made this soup but have long been curious about the sweet potato content, so I'm excited to try it. Daisy is not excited because she hates soup, and she has already talked me out of making this twice. 

Procrastinating: taking care of a really messy medical bill situation. I spend a few hours a week working on this issue, and it's not yet resolved. I took this week off because I needed a brain break, but next week, I need to get back on the phone. It has to do with being billed by the wrong name, getting sent to collections, and the medical company not being able to provide me with an itemized bill. It is a NIGHTMARE. 

Listening to:

Enjoying: the spoils of my birthday. I really was celebrated all month and have a great stash of things like body scrub and gum that I get to enjoy across many months. I redeemed my final free birthday food on Saturday (three free Krispy Kreme donuts). 

Feeling: fine. Just fine. 

Wanting: some "matches everything" church shoes. 

Laughing about: the snowsuits my friend Christie bought for Laurel and me.

Needing: to replenish the toilet paper under the sink in the upstairs bathroom (note to self... note to self... note to self...)

(I'm going to forget and wind up in a wiping predicament, this I know!)

Playing: Everdell and Viticulture, which we now own the digital versions of, and I am completely addicted. I was starting to get in a good place with reading books again, and then I started playing these games on my phone in addition to Wingspan and Ark Nova, which I was already playing a ton.

Grateful for: emojis. I might write a post about this, so I won't elaborate here. 

January is Finally Over! (and ten other random facts)

Fact #1: Currently I can’t upload any photos from my phone to my blog. I’m trying to fix it, but so far I haven’t been able to figure it out. This is very unfortunate. 

Fact #2: Over the last few weeks, I’ve taken a drastic step back from social media, and it has been wonderful! I didn’t get on social media at all for almost two weeks. Then I got on only to share my blog posts and check my DM’s. 

Fact #3: I had my yearly mammogram today last week. Just a reminder, if you’re over 40… get your mammogram! 

Update: all is healthy and well for 2026. 

Fact #4: I have recurring dreams about loading my grandma’s dishwasher. Isn’t that weird? 

Fact #5: Scotty just returned from his annual Brocation to Disneyland. This year they had 26 attendees! (up from last year’s 19). 

Fact #6: Nicky was transferred (moved to a new place) for the first time in his mission (he has been in Puerto Rico since August 13. His mission began June 30). He was sent to the island of Antigua which is a separate country. They have a different currency and different language situation (very little Spanish - mostly English and Creole). They have 4 missionaries there. 

My son is one of four missionaries in an entire country!

(Granted, it’s a 17-square mile country, but it’s exciting nevertheless). 

He had to leave some of his belongings at the mission home (he was only allowed to take one suitcase). We won’t be able to get him any packages while he’s there.

So Nicky is on an adventure, for sure! He had to fly to Saint Kitts and stay one night and then fly to Antigua, and he was all by himself. He was so excited to be alone and was hoping to have some good airport food (San Juan has some options). 

Fact #7: This has been the longest week of Nicky’s mission for his mom and dad. We are so excited to talk to him tomorrow because we know he’s going to have so many stories to tell us! I need to keep notes on my phone of all the questions that I want to ask him!

Fact #8: Yes, we know how fortunate we are to be able to talk to our missionary every week! 

Fact #9: I am so sad about the photos that I can’t upload right now. 

Fact #10: The things in my head that I want to blog about right now are innumerable. I wish I had more time and a better ability to collect my thoughts. 

Relaxing Thoughts

I got pretty spoiled for my birthday. Last week, my friend Laurel treated me to a reflexology appointment. It was kind of like a mini massage session where they worked on my hands, feet, ears, and scalp. I loved it so much! I feel like it gave me reprieve from the pain of my neuropathy and dry eyes. They did a warm compress on my eyes, which is something I'm supposed to do each day, and it was really nice to have time set aside and to be in an environment that made it easy to tend to that need - also to have someone else do it for me! You wouldn't think it would be hard to apply warmth to my eyes for ten minutes a day, but gosh dang! You know how it is to try and do a ten minute task for your self-care on a regular basis, right?

Anyway, here’s a rundown of what was going on in my head while I had my first reflexology experience.

The setting… in the lobby, a reflexology specialist approaches and begins giving me an overview of what’s about to happen.

I can’t hear anything she’s saying. 

I’m really thirsty. 

If I drink water before I go back there, will I pee my pants?

I still can’t hear anything she’s saying.

Smile and nod, smile and nod. 

I peed almost an hour ago. Am I empty enough to last another hour?

Darn my blood pressure meds!

Smile and nod.

I still have no idea what she’s saying. 

I wonder what I’m agreeing to. 

Smile and nod.

Oh boy! Here we go!

It’s so quiet back here.

I still can’t hear anything she’s saying. I’m going tell her I’m hard of hearing.

Oooo this hot water is nice. 

I don’t think I belong here. I’m not this type of people.

Okay! Sugar scrub! Yes, please!

Well, this is a crappy way to realize I have razor burn. 

Yep, better change my razor soon.

This gal better appreciate that I shaved for her. 

I also made sure I had freshly trimmed and painted toenails, but it’s so dark in here no one can even tell.

I wish I had some water. 

But I know it would make me have to pee. 

How’s my bladder holding up? 

(Pause for focus)

Seems okay so far. 

“Needless to say, I keep her in check. Call her a bad-bad, nevertheless.”

This lady has such tiny hands.

I wonder what my hands feel like to her. 

She’s totally judging my sausage fingers.

Okay, Britt, stop rambling and try to be present for the experience. 

Ahhhhhhhh! So relaxing.

“You’ll be left in the dust, unless I stuck by ya. You’re my sunflower, you’re my sunflower.”

I can see the person in the next room through the curtain. 

I wonder what they’re doing over there.

Stop, Britt. Focus. Be present.

But how do you shut it off? Carlie told me she doesn’t have internal dialogue running through her mind all the time. What’s that like? How does she shut it off?

Shut off. Shut off. No dialogue. 

I wonder if my avocados are ripe yet.

Oops. 

Really, how do you shut it off?

I will have avocado toast for breakfast. I should get a couple slices of the good bread out of the freezer. 

Chicken tenders sound really good right now. 

Okay, she’s massaging my ears. 

That must be a pressure point. I wonder what that does. 

I’m so warm and snuggly! I could get used to this. Maybe I do belong here.

Oooo scalp massage!

Oh no, Laurel doesn’t like her scalp massaged. I wonder if she is being tortured.

Hmmm, there’s something warm on my left arm but not my right. I feel off balance. 

Left arm, warm. Right arm, not warm.

Hello? Quiet lady? I am not equally warm on both sides. What kind of treatment is this?

I am hilarious.

How do I shut it down?

Are those her joints popping or mine? 

Oh! That one was definitely her. But that one might have been me. 

Alright, foot time! 

Why is she poking my ankles like that? Yes, I know they are fat. I know they have swelling. Stop judging me for my sodium consumption. 

Why is she focusing on that area of my foot? What if she’s trying to make me poop?

I wonder what she’s learning about me from my feet. I can’t even ask because this is the Quiet Zone. 

Speaking of”zone,” maybe I should get my feet zoned by someone I’m allowed to talk to. 

How can someone work all day in this dark and quiet environment? 

How does someone choose this career path? I just can’t imagine having a desire to rub other people for a living. 

I wish I could ask Doug. 

Whoa! What are they doing to Laurel over there? It sounds like they’re slapping her. I wonder if they’re going to slap me! 

I bet Laurel is going to want to go to Target after this. I hope she wants to go get food, too. Then I can say yes! I need chicken tenders!

Here comes the slapping!

Okay that was weird. Quiet Lady slapped my calves for three seconds. I didn’t like that. 

I wonder if I have mascara smeared all over my face.

I really don’t need chicken tenders, but they sound delightful. 

If I could have chicken tenders tonight, what kind of chicken tenders would I want? I think Cane’s. 

I just don’t like their fries. But I don’t feel like fries anyway. I only need the tenders. 

Yes, Cane’s tenders!

How far away is the Post Malone Cane’s?

“You’re my sunflower, you’re my sunflower.”

Does Post Malone wake up and look in the mirror everyday and think, “Gosh, I’m so glad I got all these tattoos on my face?” Or does he think, “Maybe I shouldn’t have done that?”

I wonder what Quiet Lady would do if I suddenly yelled out, “Ouch! My spleen!” 

What is a spleen anyway? Must Google later. 

I should also Google how to pronounce Hyundai. Has the company ever clarified how they want it pronounced? Cuz we all say “hunday” but in the audiobook I listened to last week, the narrator said “hi un die.” 

Narrators are wrong sometimes. I’ve heard them pronounce words incorrectly.

Hi un die. Hunday. Hi un die. Hunday.

I should vacuum the van this week.

Oh my goodness! Whatever is happening to my legs right now is amazing!

Did they just poof peppermint dust at me? 

I wonder if I’ll be tired or hyper after this.

Oh no! I think it’s over.

She’s taking my warm face mask away! She’s taking my blankie. She’s ruining my life.

Dang it. 

Maybe She’s a Reader

If you’ve been hanging around this blog for a while, you might remember a time when I was an avid reader. I used to read 2-3 books a week until I turned 40, and something weird happened to me. 

Well, I’m 42 now, and I’m happy to report that I’ve recently read a few books! In fact, I’ve read four so far this year and have three more well under way! I hope I’m turning a new leaf, and that I’ll be able to figure out who I am again (I’ve been a bit lost the past two years), but I don’t want to jump the gun. I also don’t want to abuse any cliches, so perhaps I’ll stop with the idioms now.

As I’m dabbling in reading again, I’ve been doing some maintenance work on my “to read” list. Whenever I request book recommendations, people always ask, “Well, what kind of books do you like?” which is exactly what I do when someone asks me about books. I never know how to answer, though, because I like many genres and types of books. It’s actually easier for me to tell you what I don’t like in books:

I don’t care for books that take place on ships or boats. 

I’m not a fan of mythology.

I’ve not taken much to magical realism.

I rarely enjoy books written in letter format. 

I don’t care much for books within books (i.e. when a character has written a book or is reading a book, and that book is written within the book). 

I sometimes struggle with coming of age and slow burn.

I immediately become judgmental if the main character’s name is Nora.

I’m not really interested in books where sports or athletic achievement are significant. 

I prefer stand alone novels to series (I didn’t used to feel this way, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become less interested in series). 

I’m very picky about fantasy and anything supernatural. 

I don’t enjoy stories with long journeys because it’s just travel, problem, travel, problem, over and over until the end. And whether that’s trying to take a ring to Mordor or the toys trying to get back to Andy (I have the same problem with movies), I get annoyed with the pattern. 

I rarely like anything rated less than 3.8 on Goodreads (that’s one of my deciding factors when researching a book to add to my list). 

I prefer books that are under 400 (ish) pages.

Now that probably makes everyone terrified to ever recommend a book to me, but there are always exceptions, so sometimes I’ll still read something that might not seem like my cup of tea (oh shoot, the cliches are back). There are always surprises! And who knows! After two years, maybe my tastes have actually changed! I guess we’ll see if I can keep up with reading now that I’m so old and wise!

Currently reading:

Slow burn, coming of age, and 579 pages long, but no ships or Noras so far.