hellloooooo my sweet friends + family!
first, i want to take a minute to reach out to the readers of my dear blog that i don't know. maybe you know parker and so you read my blog. maybe one of your friends on facebook read one of my blog posts & it led you here. maybe you found my blog via pinterest or instagram. whatever way you found my blog, welcome. i am so grateful for you. i put words out into the weird sphere that is the internet and YOU read them. that's pretty dang cool. if you don't know me, here's a quick introduction:
photo by Debby Leavitt Photography
my name is sadie banks. i married my very best friend (parker) 1 year + almost 4 months ago after knowing him for 2 years as a friend & then dating him for 6ish months. (you can read our love story
if you want!) we currently live in the cutest basement apartment in utah county. parker works for a call center for capital one credit cards and i work at a kiosk in the mall selling janela bay swimsuits, own my own photography business (sadie banks photography), and make and sell delicious homemade pies.
on the weekends. my favorite foods are steak + potatoes or costco hotdogs + ketchup and donuts. i binge watch shows on netflix all too often (or hulu-- let's talk about this is us? but first let me grab three boxes of tissues) i recently taught myself how to crochet and am in the process of making two blankets (go big or go home, ya'll) i have a weird obsession with waco, texas thanks to chip and joanna gaines & spring at the silos. and last but not least for this "quick introduction,"general conference has my heart.
in case you missed it, i started a new job this last week. i sell janela bay swimsuits at a kiosk in the mall and it is so much fun! i love the owners of janela bay & it is so fun to see how other people run their own small businesses! (if you're in the market for a modest + cute swimsuit for yourself OR your 10-25 year old daughter, i highly recommend checking them out! i've linked their website a few times for you!)
i also recently opened up an etsy shop to sell prints of temple photos that i've taken! i did a few giveaways on instagram & hope to be able to do a facebook giveaway soon (so keep an eye out for that!) but i've also tried to keep the prices of my temple photos low so that anyone who wants one can still afford them! i'm a firm believer in having a temple photo (or two) in every room!
this last weekend wasgeneral conference and HOLY. i loved every talk i had the opportunity to listen to. i had to work on saturday, so i'm still working on getting caught up on the talks that i missed, but i'm seriously in awe with how perfect every talk was this time around and exactly what i needed to hear yet again! God really does speak through His servants & i am so, so grateful for that!
a few of my favorite quotes that i was able to jot down were:
"We shouldn't expect easy answers or quick fixes from heaven. Things work out when we stand firm during the 'trial of [our] faith.'" - Elder Clayton
"Change the things that are hard for you & become who the Lord wants you to be." - Elder Palmer
"Those who are hardest to love need love the most." - Elder Palmer
"Stay close to the Spirit & the Spirit will stay close to you." - Elder Stevenson
"Ask for relief & then submit to God's will." - Elder Grow
"Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed, for I am thy God & will still give thee aid. I'll strengthen thee, help the, & cause thee to stand, upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand." - How Firm A Foundation; Hymn no 85
God lives, my friends. and He is so good. i'm grateful that He still speaks to us & that the heavens are NOT closed. i'm grateful that prayers are answered & that we have a friend to turn to who understands what we are going through completely and who loves us perfectly.
did you have a favorite talk or quote from general conference? i'd love to hear which one was your favorite! comment below or tell me in the comment section on facebook or instagram!