Miss California Speaks OUT For Traditional Marriage!

This is so KOOL... Last night during the interview portion of the Miss USA Pageant, Miss California - Carrie Prejean, was asked about her feelings on the topic of gay marriage, by none other than Perez Hilton himself - a very gay man.

As many of you are aware, the very controversial subject of legalizing same-sex marriage in California, is an incredibly hot button - politically. It is obvious that Mr. Hilton "assumed" that he would get the answer that he wanted to promote all across America by asking Miss California for her personal opinion. Check this out!



There is a lot of speculation now, as to whether Miss California may have lost the title of Miss America, because of her response. What do you think?

tDMg
LdsNana

Note: This should be a very interesting story to follow... and we will!

Update: FYI - Carrie Prejean is not Mormon. The assumption that she is, because she simply lives in California - is IMHO very unfortunate. There are many people who support traditional marriage in California - that are NOT Mormon. I posted this, because I was proud to see a young woman stand up for her values - in opposition to a very liberal media. I could blog about my feeling in this regard, but an awesome blogger over on PearlDiver.com beat me to the punch and has said everything that I would have said about the subject. Way to go Pearl!

Zion's Trek

Have you ever participated in a Zion’s Trek activity?

Do you know what a Zion’s Trek even is?

A Zion’s Trek is an activity that commemorates a part of the history of the LDS Church and the westward movement. In other words, it is an activity where you get to experience what it was like to be a hand cart pioneer.

To participate in this activity you usually dress the part.

You spend your days pulling a hand cart holding all your belongings and supplies in it.

Perhaps you get a little taste of what it felt like to be a pioneer yourself.

This weekend was the Murrieta Stake of California’s Zion’s Trek.

This link is for a great newspaper article written in the local newspaper about the event. Make sure you check it out!

Here is some of the response from the kids who participated:

"It's an adventure, and you get a taste of what the pioneers went through, and a greater appreciation of the sacrifices they made," said 17-year-old Alton Skaggs.

"It was freezing last night, and I was thinking, ‘They didn't have sleeping bags,'" Katelynn said about her ancestors.

"The small stuff, like water, you become pretty grateful for," said Kyle Frizzell, 17.

If you have been on a Zion’s Trek tell us what your favorite part about it was.... What did you learn?

Uplifting Music

HeY TherE aLL mY LDS gIrL FRiEndS...Do you love music as much as I do?

The problem for me is... there is a bunch of music out there that is simply not COoL! Sure, it might have a catchy beat... but the words are not great at all! Come on... you know what I am talking about, don’t YoU? Don’t make me give examples now!!!

Does it really matter what kind of music you listen to?

Elder Boyd K. Packer taught that inspiring music brings worthy thoughts.... so think of what the opposite of that statement might be.... Uninspiring music brings__________. I will let you finish that one!

Elder Packer shared some specific ideas about music.....

• You cannot afford to fill your mind with the unworthy music of our day. … Such music as that is not worthy of you.

• You are a son or a daughter of Almighty God. He has inspired a world full of wonderful things to learn and to do, uplifting music of many kinds that you may enjoy.

• Pay careful attention to the music you program for your activities.

• There is so much wonderful, uplifting music available that we can experience to our advantage. Our people ought to be surrounded by good music of all kinds.

• If you are blessed with musical talent, develop a wide range of good music.

Why not go through your [music] collection? Get rid of the worst of it. Keep just the best of it. Be selective in what you consume and what you produce. It becomes a part of you.

So GiRlFriEndS...why not take the music challenge... get rid of the junk and start collecting some CoOl good music instead!

Why not start with this....

A New Book Called "Daughters of God"

Hey Cool LDS Girls... just in time for Mother’s Day... A new book that features three of Elder M. Russell Ballard’s talks about women of the Church has just been released.

The book is called “Daughters of God”. In the book Elder Ballard covers topics of various aspects of womanhood, including motherhood, divine daughterhood, and individual value outside of marriage and family.

Some suggestions Elder Ballard makes:

* Live more in the moment rather than rushing to get the next activity or item on your checklist.

* Don't overschedule you or your family's lives because "families need unstructured time in which relationships can deepen and real parenting can take place."

* Find time to cultivate your own talents and interests because "if you are not setting aside a little time for what replenishes you, you will have less and less to give to others."

* Pray for your children, asking specifically how God would have you raise them.

So for you cool LDS Girls who are future wives and mothers of the church, what better counsel can you get than from an apostle of the Lord. AND if you are still trying to figure out what to get your cool LDS mom for Mother’s Day... this might be just what you are looking for!

Spiritual Crocodiles

Elder Boyd K Packer gave a talk in General Conference in 1976 that is still a classic one for today, called Spiritual Crocodiles. In it he told of an experience he had while he was in Africa on Church business in relation to some scary crocodiles. A young ranger had volunteered to take Elder Packer around and show him some of the sights. This is an experience he related he had with the ranger:

“The antelope, particularly, were very nervous. They would approach the mud hole, only to turn and run away in great fright. I could see there were no lions about and asked the guide why they didn’t drink. His answer, and this is the lesson, was “Crocodiles.”

I knew he must be joking and asked him seriously, “What is the problem?” The answer again: “Crocodiles.”

“Nonsense,” I said. “There are no crocodiles out there. Anyone can see that.”

I thought he was having some fun at the expense of his foreign game expert, and finally I asked him to tell us the truth. Now I remind you that I was not uninformed. I had read many books. Besides, anyone would know that you can’t hide a crocodile in an elephant track.

He could tell I did not believe him and determined, I suppose, to teach me a lesson. We drove to another location where the car was on an embankment above the muddy hole where we could look down. “There,” he said. “See for yourself.”

I couldn’t see anything except the mud, a little water, and the nervous animals in the distance. Then all at once I saw it!—a large crocodile, settled in the mud, waiting for some unsuspecting animal to get thirsty enough to come for a drink.

Suddenly I became a believer! When he could see I was willing to listen, he continued with the lesson. “There are crocodiles all over the park,” he said, “not just in the rivers. We don’t have any water without a crocodile somewhere near it, and you’d better count on it.”

The guide was kinder to me than I deserved. My “know-it-all” challenge to his first statement, “crocodiles,” might have brought an invitation, “Well, go out and see for yourself!”

I could see for myself that there were no crocodiles. I was so sure of myself I think I might have walked out just to see what was there. Such an arrogant approach could have been fatal! But he was patient enough to teach me.

My young friends, I hope you’ll be wiser in talking to your guides than I was on that occasion. That smart-aleck idea that I knew everything really wasn’t worthy of me, nor is it worthy of you. I’m not very proud of it, and I think I’d be ashamed to tell you about it except that telling you may help you.”

I loved this talk especially because they made it into a really cool video for Seminary... Do you remember watching this one?

"You live in an interesting generation where trials will be constant in your life. Learn to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost. It is to be a shield, a protection and a teacher for you. Never be ashamed or embarrassed about the doctrines of the gospel or about the standards we teach in the church." Elder Boyd K. Packer

Watch OUT for those SPIRITUAL CROCODILES that are all round you today! They can be deadly!

Ashley Moser Miss Hawaii Teen USA One Really Cool LDS Girl

What do you and Miss Hawaii Teen USA have in common?

Probably a lot, but one thing is for sure, if you are a cool LDS girl, so is she! Yep, the new Miss Hawaii Teen USA is Ashley Moser a really cool LDS girl!

Ashley lives in Hawaii and attends Punahou School, which is BTW the same High School that President Barack Obama went to! She also attends seminary every morning even though she has to get up at the crack of dawn and drive clear across the island to do it!

Ashley has been participating in beauty pageants since she was a baby. She actually was crowned first runner up in several pageants before winning this title as Miss Hawaii Teen USA.

Being in the public spotlight like Ashley is can bring a lot of exposure but it also can bring a lot of pressure with it too. Ashley chooses to see her new found fame as an opportunity for missionary service. She stated, "I'm very thankful for pageants. My mom did pageants. That's how she got a scholarship to BYU-Hawaii. She was not a member at the time so by going there, she found the gospel and my dad. As a result, our whole family is in the church."

Ashley Moser will go on to compete in the Miss Teen USA pageant this summer in the Bahamas. Make sure and watch for Miss Hawaii Teen USA, Ashley Moser, one really cool LDS girl!

What Mormon Teens Are Like

KooLDSGirlz would like to give a big sHoUT OuT to one really cool LDS girl who made a video about Mormon Teen Girls and what they are like....Check it out!

What do you thinK DiD She dO A gOOd jOb eXpLAinINg whAt A CoOl LDS GIrL is?

The April New Era- Education Issue

The April 2009 New Era is all about education and careers. If you read it you can find counsel, guidance, and encouragement concerning your school and studies, both spiritual and secular. This issue contains such features as:

• A message from President Henry B. Eyring on what true education means (“Real-Life Education”).

• A discussion with Elder Paul V. Johnson, Commissioner of Church Education, on the seminary and institute programs (“A Higher Education”).

• An article by Mary N. Cook of the Young Women general presidency on how education helps us serve in the Church (“More Fit for the Kingdom”).

• Articles offering practical advice on school, careers, and becoming independent ( “10 Steps to Finding a Great Job,” and “Practically Out the Door”).

And a really great article by Brad Wilcox called, Five Easy Ways to Make School Hard and Five Hard Ways to Make School Easy.

So make sure you check out the NEW ERA on LDS.org, the new Webpage design is really cool!

Hey... all my LDS Girl friends, graduation is just around the corner and you better start thinking about what you will be doing next year for school. Make sure you check out these great articles in the April New Era.