Tag Archives: Mormon

Life of a Married Mormon Editor

7 am – Waking up in the morning. Gotta be fresh, gotta go downstairs. Gotta have my bowl, gotta have cereal … Okay, only joking. My apartment is wayy too teeny to have more than one level, and I never eat breakfast before going to work.

7:00 am – Press snooze.

7:30 am – Drag myself out of bed and shower + shave my legs. I “do” my hair (i.e. run my fingers through it), put on my makeup, and while getting dressed, wonder aloud if these new shoes are going to be too sexy for my very business casual office. This prompts Husband to mock me by singing “I’m too sexy for my office” followed by “I’m too sexy for _my boss’ boss’ name_.” I’ve got some important meetings with my boss’ boss, who is in town, hence the need for me to wake up an hour earlier than usual.

8:00 am – Gather my stuff together and try to convince Husband to take something for lunch. I look in the fridge and find practically nothing. My suggestion of humus and carrots is rejected, queso and chips is accepted. (Although, I do ask Husband to please put the queso back in the fridge if he decides not to take it.)

My lunch is on the company today, so I head out the door to my car and curse the sexy shoes for the blisters I’m sure are already forming on my big toes. If I ever move somewhere with public transit (crossing my fingers for a move to a big city sometime in my future), I’m going to have to throw out half of my shoe collection.

8:10 am – As I back the car out, Husband runs out to grab his wallet, which he left there. I tell him this just confirms my suspicions that he’s going to buy lunch instead of taking it. He says, “Please, Lauren, like queso and chips can really last me all day.” I tried; didn’t I?

8:25 am - Walk into work. My day includes a few meetings, playing around with the CIA World Factbook statistics, and reading about Andorra. Oh, and looking awkward while trying not to draw attention to the fact that I’m taking awkward phone photos of myself at work.

5:10 Leave work.

5:30 Navigate around the massive road construction thats been surrounding my street for a year (yeah, try being woken up at 6:30 am every day by the melodious sounds of heavy construction),

get home and notice THIS sitting on the kitchen counter, send picture text to Husband so he knows what he did(!),

sit on our ugly futon and bemoan the fact that I feel like I need to do something spectacular tonight, but I’d rather take a nap. I read blogs on my google reader app (some of my current faves include I Still Love You, Cotton and Curls, A Cup of Jo, Oh Happy Day, and NYC Taught Me) while I wait for Husband to get home from work.

6:15 pm - Think about cleaning the kitchen and realize that a bag of food I took to a barbecue on SATURDAY is still sitting out. Major fail. This deters me from cleaning the kitchen, so I go back to sitting on the futon and playing with my phone.

6:30 pm - Husband gets home and we talk about a site he’s designing. (Note, sister, the use of the web design sketchpad you gave him for his birthday!)

7:15 pm - Skype with my parents and my little sister (who is living with them for the summer). We usually Skype on Sundays, but I got home too late last night to talk, so we postponed it for today.

I tell the fam I need to take a photo for my Day in the Life post, and my mom immediately leaves the screen and refuses to be in it (she had just finished mowing the lawn). She says she’ll stick a hand in front of the camera so you know she was there.

I love my family!

8:00 pm - I change into shorts, collect the books that are due at the library, and ride my bike with Husband over to return them. Then I ask him to take a photo of me on my bike riding past the library. The photo below was probably take 10, and also the point at which I realized I would never make it as a fashion blogger (or anyone else who has photos taken in a public place).

8:30 pm - We decide to go to Awful Waffle, a new waffle/crepe place in Provo, for dessert/my half-birthday/Family Night. And yes, we could have gone to 7-11 for free slurpees, but I hate slurpees, and I consider it highly offensive that 7-11 gives out free slurpees every year on my half-birthday.

9:15 pm - The waffles are actually not awful. But they don’t really compare to true Belgian Waffles. (I can say that in a snobbish way because I lived in Brussels for a few months.) Husband realizes that his bike somehow got a flat tire in between the library and Awful Waffle, so we walk our bikes home. I run inside to get the bike pump and while watching Husband pump up the tire, remember that I didn’t eat anything for dinner and start to feel sick from the humongous waffle I consumed. This provides a convenient excuse for me to go inside, where the A/C is.

We finish our Family Night activity (something that Mormon families try to do every Monday night) by studying the scriptures and saying a prayer together. Then I procrastinate a little before studying for the GRE (which I’m taking in two weeks… yikes!).

10:30 pm - I wimp out on studying and decide to go to bed.

From the Archives: Read more about me being married, a Mormon, and an editor.

Mormon

Since I was one of the only Mormons my friends knew in high school, I still get updates from a few of them every time they see or hear something that reminds them of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.*

Occasionally, I’ll hear, “So, I met this person, and I could totally tell that they were Mormon!”  My friends are proud of themselves when their assumptions turn out to be true. So, if you’d like to join the ranks of those who are able to pick a Mormon out of your class, gym, or doctor’s office, this post is for you!

How to recognize a Mormon:

  1. Mormons (or members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) don’t drink alcohol, coffee or tea.  So if that guy you thought might be Mormon is downing a [insert alcoholic drink name here – see, I can't even think of a good one] at the bar on Friday night, he’s probably not a Mormon.Word of WisdomMormons also don’t smoke or use any addictive substances.  Since before science even knew about the harmful effects of drugs or alcohol, Mormons have followed a creed called the Word of Wisdom that tells us we need to keep our bodies clean.
  2. Mormon guys are usually pretty clean-cut.  I think this comes in part from the rules for Mormon missionaries, who are required to maintain a professional appearance.  Mormon men usually serve missions from age 19-21. So if you’re wondering what possessed that one Mormon-y guy in your class to spend 2 years in South Africa or Brazil, it’s probably because he was serving the people there on a mission. My husband, as I mentioned before, served his mission in Philadelphia. I’m sure most of you have, at some point, seen a couple of guys in white shirts and ties riding their bikes or walking around a neighborhood. Jehovah’s Witnesses? Nope, they’re the Mormon missionaries!LDS Missionaries
  3. Mormon girls (and guys) don’t wear “immodest” clothing. Most women choose to wear shorts or skirts down to their knees, to cover their shoulders, and to wear one-piece bathing suits.  Dressing modestly is along the same lines as not using drugs or drinking alcohol.  We believe that our bodies are a gift from God, and that we should treat them with respect.

    Shabby Apple Dress

    via Shabby Apple

  4. Mormons try to attend the temple regularly.  You D.C. people all remember going around the Beltway and seeing the Washington D.C. Temple in Bethesda, Maryland, right?  Mormons go to the temple to worship, feel closer to God, and to perform sacred ordinances – like weddings.

    Washington D.C. Temple

    The Washington D.C. Temple

  5. Many Mormons tend to get married relatively early and to have big families. Families are a central part of what we believe, because we know that part of God’s plan for us is to have a family so that we can learn sacrifice and selflessness. We strive to be obedient to God’s commandments so that our families can be together again after we die. Even if the Mormon you know doesn’t have a big family, chances are that he/she has an adorable family photo hanging on the wall in his/her parent’s house.

    Family Photo Jylare Photography

    via Jylare Photography

  6. A lot of Mormons like to blog. We’re encouraged to keep journals and write down our experiences, and blogs provide a good way for keeping in touch with far-away family members. Ever reading a blog of a hip, young couple with a baby and suddenly notice something like this in the sidebar? Faith ButtonThis Salon.com article points out a few other similarities between some popular “Mormon mommy blogs”.  (I know that at least one of my fellow bloggers at Life in Labels enjoys the Rockstar Diaries.)
  7. Mormons try their best to follow the example of the Savior, Jesus Christ.  I’m not saying that you’ll never meet a mean, angry, or offensive Mormon, but I think for the most part (due to our faith and our obedience), we tend to be pretty happy and helpful people.

Obviously, there’s a lot more to Mormons than the 7 somewhat superficial characteristics above, and maybe I’ll write a second post about being a Mormon some other time.

I do want to point out that while you might think that all Mormons live in Utah, there are actually more members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints outside the U.S. than in it.

Mormons come in all shapes and sizes.  Check out the below pictures/click on the photos to see their profiles (since I haven’t gotten around to making mine yet):

Mormon.org Profile

Mormon.org Profile

Mormon.org Profile

Mormon.org Profile

*“Mormon” is actually just a nickname for the church.  It comes from the Book of Mormon, which is a book of scripture we believe to contain the word of God, just like the Bible does.

Keeping the (Inter)faith

In honor of our friendship, this post has two labels: Catholic AND Jewish

My friend Lizzie guest blogged for Life in Labels a few weeks ago. Her post on Judaism made me smile – especially since it reminded me of all the awesome conversations we used to have about our respective faiths.  In college we would grab coffee every week or so and hide away in the library stacks to talk about religion, academics and life in general. Conversations revolved around everything from forgiveness to science and God.

The God Squad. Lizzie is to Denise as Ben Stiller is to Ed Norton.

When I first met Lizzie we bonded over our love of Keeping the Faith, a little-known comedy about a rabbi (Ben Stiller) and a priest (Ed Norton) who are best friends. Ironically, we would later become Ben Stiller and Ed Norton (in a manner of speaking). She became a campus leader in Hillel and I did the same in the Catholic Student Ministry. We often reported back to each other, swapping advice about community building and scheduling.

Don't try this at home, kids

Of course, Lizzie and I were not all talk. Much like our fictional counterparts, we enjoyed bringing our religious communities together. We attended interfaith dialogues with our organizations (free pizza + monotheism + destereotyping  = some serious Children of Abraham bonding) and even slept under the stars together during Sukkot. We also joked about opening our own interfaith karaoke bar like Ben and Ed’s characters did in Keeping the Faith (click for clip). In fact, this random life choice is tempting me. Lizzie, please call me if you’re still interested…

Lizzie lived with five Christian girls 2nd year and was a great Xmas sport. It was only right to have a menorah for our suite as well!

I never had a ton of Catholic friends until I hit college, but for some reason that never bothered me. Just ask Lauren. During our tween years she often invited me to her Mormon stake dances and I would happily attend (the dancing was real, the music was better, and the boys were nicer). Though some might believe otherwise, hanging out with people that disagree with you doesn’t have to be disagreeable.

Also, I know it’s a social no-no, but I love talking about religion. Unfortunately, now that I’m in the real world this is less acceptable than it was in a classroom or the common room of a college dorm. Good thing I have friends like Lizzie and Lauren who aren’t shy about their opinions or judgmental of mine. Now that’s something to be grateful for, uh? Amen.

If it is imperative for the international community to foster good relations between people belonging to different ethnic and religious traditions, it is all the more urgent for believers themselves to foster relations…leading to the common concern for the well being of the whole human family. -John Paul II